Coal's role in California's energy needs

California's post-industrial society demands confidence in the energy supply system as an essential ingredient for social harmony and adequate job creating capital investment. Confidence requires policies which balance supply and demand using believable methods with adequate allowance for the unexpected, reliance on diverse sources and locations, respect for our environment, sustain our individual freedoms and provide opportunities for economic mobility. Coal will play only a part, but an important part, in a multifaceted energy policy using numerous energy sources and systems, conservation techniques, and cooperating societal institutions. Today's extensive and challenging research and development provides the foundation for future technologies which will further resolve the environmental effects associated with coal

Distribution of Astragalus amnis-amissi (Fabaceae), a plant endemic to east-central Idaho

Astragalus amnis-amissi (Fabaceae), also known as Lost River milkvetch, is a plant endemic to East-central Idaho for which no published surveys have been completed in the last 17 years. A search of several previouslydocumented populations in canyons of the Southern Lemhi Range and the Lost River Range, in Butte and Custer Counties, Idaho, documented the species in four canyons. However, it was not relocated in an unnamed canyon in the Southern Lemhi Range, indicating potential extirpation of that population. No new populations of A. amnis-amissi were found

Vascular Plants of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Curlew National Grassland in Southeastern Idaho, Western Wyoming, and Northern Utah

Due to a historical paucity of collections from and the absence of a comprehensive floristic treatment for parts of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Curlew National Grassland, an updated inventory for the area was needed. I present an annotated checklist of the vascular plants documented from the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Curlew National Grassland. A total of new 3189 voucher specimens were collected for this project in 2021 and 2022. To compile the annotated checklist, I consulted both newly collected specimens and specimen data from online botanical databases. A total of 1557 taxa (species, subspecies, varieties, and hybrids), 1423 species (including hybrids), 481 genera, and 94 families are known to occur in the study area. At least three new state records (Draba thompsonii (C.L. Hitchc.) G. Mulligan & Al-Shehbaz, Sphaeralca parvifolia A. Nelson, and Boechera lasiocarpa (Rollins) Dorn) and 137 new county records were documented, a few of which were published previously. An additional 38 first records were discovered, of which approximately 21.1% were not native to the United States. A number of other important occurrences were documented, such as occurrences of rare taxa, Forest Service Region 4 Sensitive Species, and new reports of non-native taxa. The large number of documented county records supports the continued applicability of the Wallacean Shortfall in the flora of western North America. Employees of the U.S. Forest Service, academic researchers, and others will be able to use the annotated checklist to better understand, research, and conserve the flora of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and Curlew National Grassland

Cultural Competency of Utah Department of Health Diabetes Programs

Purpose: Health disparities, or preventable and unjust differences in health, often exist in populations that experience barriers to health as a result of race or ethnicity. In the Hispanic population, health disparities exist in diabetes prevention and management with Hispanics being 70 percent more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and twice as likely to be hospitalized for end-stage diabetic kidney disease compared to non-Hispanic whites. Delivering culturally competent care that respects how cultural factors impact health can help reduce health disparities. This project evaluates the cultural competency of Utah Department of Health diabetes programs for the Hispanic population and recommends strategies to address identified gaps in cultural competency. Methods: To assess the cultural competency of Utah Department of Health diabetes programs for the Hispanic population, we conducted a critical examination of Utah Department of Health diabetes websites and educational materials and interviewed Utah Department of Health diabetes staff in October 2021. We then applied a cultural competency framework to guide our evaluation. This framework incorporated five evidence-based strategies that promote culturally component care, including linguistic, sociocultural, constituent-involving, evidential, and peripheral strategies. Linguistic and sociocultural strategies highlight the inclusion of cultural norms and practices in program delivery. Constituent-involving and peripheral strategies, in contrast, incorporate lived experiences and visual appeals into program implementation, while evidential strategies focus on sharing culture-specific data. Results: We identified cultural competency gaps for the Hispanic population in linguistic, sociocultural, constituent-involving, peripheral, and evidential strategies in Utah Department of Health diabetes programs’ websites, handouts, and host organization locations. Linguistic gaps exist with not all resources being provided in Spanish; for example, diabetes webpages published by the Utah Department of Health are not available in Spanish. Sociocultural gaps exist with promotional materials not discussing diabetes within the context of Hispanic cultural values; for example, the content in English and Spanish versions of the Diabetes Self-Management Education brochure is identical, and cultural resources for diabetes educators are not provided on Utah Department of Health websites. Constituent-involving gaps exist with limited community center host organizations; for example, only 6/43 Diabetes Self-Management Education host organizations are community health centers. Evidential gaps exist with handouts and webpages not using diabetes statistics specific to the Hispanic population; for example, the Living Well Diabetes Prevention Program workshop search tool is available in Spanish but includes diabetes statistics about the general population instead of the Hispanic population. Finally, peripheral gaps exist with images of people in educational materials lacking Hispanic representation; for example, the Evidence-Based Lifestyle Change fact sheet includes an image of a group of people that lacks Hispanic representation. Discussion: The gaps we highlighted reveal weaknesses the Utah Department of Health can address to improve the cultural competency of diabetes programs for the Hispanic population. Recommendations to address these weaknesses include developing a multilingual website, incorporating cultural values and beliefs into promotional materials, providing cultural resources and training for diabetes educators, expanding community partnerships, increasing community health worker engagement, publishing diabetes statistics specific to the Hispanic population, and increasing Hispanic representation in visual imagery. Implementing these strategies will help Utah Department of Health diabetes programs address diabetes health disparities in the Hispanic population more effectively

Personal Vulnerability in University Student Mothers: An Examination of Cultural Expectations and Coping Mechanisms

Past research has emphasized the inter-role conflict and resulting stress and depression working mothers\u27 experience. Similar conflicting responsibilities are faced by student mothers, or mothers attending post-secondary institutes of higher education. These women may be subject to feelings of personal vulnerability, depression, feelings of incompetence as parents, and dysfunctional interaction with their children. However, it is unclear how these factors are related among the student-mother population. Additionally, stress resulting from conflicting roles may be exacerbated by the cultural expectations placed on these women especially in the context of Utah culture. This study sought to understand how personal vulnerability is related to depression, perceived lack of parental competence, and parent-to-child dysfunctional interaction among student mothers. This study also explored the cultural expectations these women reported and the mechanisms they employed to cope with all the stressors they face. Survey data were collected from forty student mothers to understand personal vulnerability correlates and follow-up interviews were conducted with a subsample of ten of these mothers to study their reported Utah culture expectations and mechanisms used to cope with their stressors. Personal vulnerability was shown to be highly correlated with depression, perceived lack of parental competence, and parent-to-child dysfunctional interaction. Many student-mothers identified similar cultural expectations including being stay-at-home moms, being perfect, and subsequently not measuring up. Most of these women reported exercise, time alone, and relying on the support of others as effective coping mechanisms in responding to stress

The implications of bite wounding for disease status in badgers Meles meles

Aggressive interactions between individuals can pose a significant risk for disease transmission. Positive associations between bite wounding and disease status in the Eurasian badger Meles meles have led to the suggestion of bite wounding as an alternative route of Mycobacterium bovis (bovine TB) infection to aerosol infection of the respiratory system. Understanding the social behaviours behind transmission routes is important for the effective management of infection. This study investigated the incidence of bite wounding in a naturally infected badger population with regard to (1) the evidence for bite wounding as a route of bovine TB transmission between badgers, and (2) the social behaviour of infected and uninfected animals. The results were consistent with bite wounding being a true route of transmission: M. bovis infected bite wounds were randomly distributed across all body locations, independently of those locations normally associated with respiratory infection, and positively associated with the incident event of bovine TB infection in badgers, with no association to positive respiratory-related cultures. Badgers with established disease (as detected by microbiological culture) were more likely to have bite wounds than those that were culture negative, which may be a reflection of abnormal increased ranging behaviour of infected badgers. Both bite wound infected individuals and infected individuals with bites may be important for bovine TB transmission to cattle and should be taken into consideration when planning a bovine TB management programme